The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1887-12-31
PARIS PAVEMENTS.
An Army of Men and Women Employed
in Cleaning Them.

An Army OF Men and Women Employed
in Cleaning Them.
Wooden pavements are slowly TAX
ing the place of every other kind
in Paris. On the 1st of January, 1884,
this system had just been introduced
and was being experimental with on
a surface of 707, 400 square feet; by the
end of the year 1882, O56 square feet
of streets was paved i'll this way.
Great as this rate of progress seems it
is not half fast enough, for there still
remains 92 $40 900 square feet of
streets paved with stone or macadam.
With all their advantages of noise
lessness and cleanliness wooden pave
ments have the drawback of being
very expensive, not only to put down,
but also to keep in repair. 1t costs
90 1-5 cents the square meter, while
stone pavements do not ever cost more
than Is 1-5 the square meter. The
streets are shaded by 98 $50 trees, the
sidewalks are supplied with 1884
benches where the tired may rest their
weary limbs, and to keep the
thoroughfares reasonably clean the
city expends 81, $780, 900 francs an
nually.
A large portion of this sum goes to
pay the 8. 900 men and women who are
employed to sweep the streets and gut
ters with birch brooms. The brigade
of street sweepers come from the PROV
inces, but Italy furnishes a strong con-
tingent to the force. There are two
classes of these balayeurs and balay-
euses-the auxiliaries and the regulars.
The former are paid from to s cents
an hour, and are expected TO do ten
hours work day, which is divided up
rs follows: From 4 to II a. m. and
from to p. M; but it often hap
pens, in bad weather, that supple
mental hours of work have to be per-
formed, while on the other hand, in
fair we ather the days are cut down 10
half time. The auxiliaries are re-
cruited according 10 the need of the
service, and many of them are men
and women who have other trades in
which, for the time being. they are
unable to find employment. O.; late
the city has made it rule to offer five
or six days work as auxiliary balay-
eurs to the inmates of the night ref
uges, and in this way q number of
declasses-univcrsi'y graduates, pro-
fessional men. eX-gOvernment en-
ployes. etc.-fnd their way into the
street-clcaning brigade Few of
these, however, remain in it
permanently. The regulars, who
are known as contonniers, are
employed by the month, and no one is
appointed who is past the age of forty
five years. They receive fixed salary
of 105 francs q month, and each gang
is under the command of q chief who
is paid 100 francs month for his serv-
ices rs boss. The balayeurs are divid-
ed into eight sections and to each of
them is assigned n section of the city.
AT intervals during the day the chief
assemblies his gang and calls the roll
to assure himself that all are at their
posts. Women as we'll as men are en-
ployed TO sweep, but few of them earn
as much as so cents a day. For most
part the women who accept this en-
ployment are peasants from the en-
virons of Paris, and they are usually
past middle life. The other day the
baGayeurs and balayeuses held a meet
ing and resolved to organize trade
syndicate, with view to securing an
increase in their pay, which they claim
is not only too small, but is also too de-
pendent on the caprice of the officials
in charge of their department. AS
modern cities 60, Paris takes high
rank for the cleanliness of its streets.
The cutters measure more than 500
miles in length, and every morning
water is turned into them and they are
swept by hand. Cor ~ O. Rcayune.